A bill to provide air conditioning at four West Hawaii schools has passed its first committee hearing and is awaiting a second.
House Bill 1935, introduced by Rep. Nicole Lowen (D-North Kona), seeks funding through capital improvement projects for planning, design, construction and installation of air conditioners and air filtration units at Kahakai Elementary School and Kealakehe Elementary, Intermediate and High schools in Kailua-Kona.
The bill asked for $360,000 for two classrooms and the cafeteria at Kahakai, $3 million for 50 classrooms at Kealakehe Elementary, $2.4 million for 40 classrooms at Kealakehe Intermediate and $5.4 million for 90 classrooms at Kealakehe High School.
Air conditioning is needed for the classrooms due to the prevalence of vog that makes its way from Kilauea volcano when sulfur dioxide emissions are high.
Fanned by southerly winds, the “volcanic smog” typically moves southwest across the Ka‘u District, hitting first areas like Pahala, Naalehu and Ocean View, before getting caught up in sea breezes that bring the haze toward West Hawaii and onshore. In addition to visual impacts, vog also creates the potential for airborne health hazards to residents and visitors, according to the state Department of Health.
“Children are generally more sensitive to vog than adults because children have higher respiratory rates than adults, meaning they take more breaths per minute. When vog levels are high, the public health recommendations to reduce exposure includes staying indoors with windows closed, using an air filter, and avoiding outdoor activities that cause heavy breathing. However, in schools without air conditioning, it can be very difficult to follow these recommendations and retain a healthy learning environment at the same time,” the proposed measure reads.
In addition, the bill notes Kona consistently reports some of the hottest temperatures in the state, which can negatively impact the ability of students to learn.
According to a 2018 report by the National Bureau of Economic Research, cumulative heat exposure inhibits cognitive skill development and that school air conditioning can mitigate this effect.
“New data providing the first measures of school-level air conditioning penetration across the US suggest such infrastructure almost entirely offsets these effects. Without air conditioning, each 1°F increase in school year temperature reduces the amount learned that year by one percent,” the report states. “Heat may also impact learning directly by altering human physiology and cognition. Even moderately elevated temperatures can impair decision-making and cause substantial discomfort. Hot classrooms may thus reduce the effectiveness of instructional time through physiological impacts on both students and teachers.”
House Bill 1935 passed the House Committee on Education with amendments on Feb. 8. It next needs to secure a hearing before the Committee on Finance. A hearing date had yet to be set as of press-time Monday.
In testimony at the Feb. 8 hearing, Laverne Moore, a high school teacher testifying in support of the bill on behalf of HSTA (Hawaii State Teachers Association), provided anecdotal evidence of the effect of heat on students’ learning.
“As a high school teacher, my students in the morning are real eager to learn and my lessons go well,” she said. “In my afternoon classes students are huffing and puffing. They are sweating and standing in front of my fans, so the education goes down. If we want students to succeed, their rooms need to be air conditioned.”
Officials for the four West Hawaii schools did not respond to requests for comment on the proposed bill.
